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Published: Saturday July 18, 2009 MYT 11:12:00 AM
Updated: Saturday July 18, 2009 MYT 11:48:46 AM

Tiger Woods not so great in this British Open

TURNBERRY, Scotland: The obligatory handshakes were over, and there wasn't much left for Tiger Woods to do other than sign his scorecard and tell his pilot to fuel up the Gulfstream.

The chef had to be notified, too, because Woods had worked up quite an appetite kicking away his British Open chances in a stunning collapse on the Scottish coast.

Greatest player in the world. Maybe the greatest golfer ever.

Gagging it up in front of everybody but the Queen.

Thankfully, Queen Elizabeth was off watching cricket so she didn't have to see the mess Woods made at Turnberry.

She probably was waiting to come on Sunday, when she and the rest of Britain presumed he would be holding the claret jug trophy.

An obviously sad Tiger Woods of the US reacts after putting on the 18th green during the second round of the British Open Golf championship, at the Turnberry golf course, Scotland, Friday. He did not make the cut and left for home. - APpic

Instead, Woods was heading home early for only the second time in 49 major championships as a pro.

Heading home from a major championship a 59-year-old recovering from hip replacement surgery is leading.

A tournament where a 16-year-old amateur from Italy easily made the cut.

Sure, Turnberry was hard. But it wasn't that hard.

Tom Watson proved that with two rounds that were 10 shots better than Woods.

Watson, who is eligible for retirement pay in three years, was playing just a few groups in front of the great one, so there was no difference in conditions.

Steve Marino played when the weather was even worse, and he's never even seen a links course before this week.

Yet he was also 10 shots clear of Woods, the supposed master of the links.

Bookies thought Woods would run away with this tournament.

Instead, he was last seen running away with two rounds left to be played.

All because of a six-hole collapse.

So cancel the Nike commercials.

Hold the texts to Roger Federer.

And give a nod to Jack Nicklaus, too.

Woods has had a great run but winning majors is a tough business, and Nicklaus has still won more than anyone.

The only thing more shocking about Woods missing the cut for the only time since the U.S. Open at Winged Foot, when his father had just died, was how it happened.

He was cruising along the coastal holes of Turnberry making pars when a misplaced 3-wood off the tee on No. 8 set off a chain reaction - including a lost ball - that Woods could not bring under control until the 14th hole.

"It was just problem after problem," Woods said.

"I just kept compounding my problems."

By the time he scrambled for par on 14 he was 7-over, all but done.

He made two birdies coming in, but after missing the green on 18 he needed to hole a chip from off the green to play on the weekend.

It came up short, and he was done for good.

"Obviously, you can't make mistakes and expect to not only make the cut but also try and win a championship," Woods said.

"You have to play clean rounds of golf, and I didn't."

For Woods that has been the story in majors all year.

He fought a bad swing at the Masters and fell short in a late run, and his putter cost him any chance at the U.S. Open.

Now he must win the stepchild of the majors, the U.S. PGA Championship, next month in Minneapolis or be shut out for the year in the only measure - other than his checkbook - that he keeps.

Unlike his other losses, this one can't be explained by a bad draw, a lousy swing or a balky putter.

This was a pure mental meltdown by a guy whose mental toughness has never before been questioned.

"You don't often see him play shots like that, some of the shots he played," playing partner Lee Westwood said.

"But everybody is entitled to a bad day every now and again. It happens to all of us."

The disappointment from this one was deep. This was a collapse that could shake even his confidence.

Knowing Woods, he'll analyze it all until he sorts out what went wrong.

As the sun went down over Turnberry, though, he had just one thing in mind. "Head home," he said. - AP

Scores Friday from the British Open, the $6.8 million major at 7,204-yard, par-70 Ailsa Course at Turnberry (a-amateur):

Second Round=

Steve Marino 67-68_135

Tom Watson 65-70_135

Mark Calcavecchia 67-69_136

Ross Fisher 69-68_137

Retief Goosen 67-70_137

Miguel Angel Jimenez 64-73_137

Kenichi Kuboya 65-72_137

Vijay Singh 67-70_137

J.B. Holmes 68-70_138

James Kingston 67-71_138

Lee Westwood 68-70_138

Stewart Cink 66-72_138

Mathew Goggin 66-72_138

Martin Kaymer 69-70_139

Angel Cabrera 69-70_139

Jim Furyk 67-72_139

Jeff Overton 70-69_139

Sergio Garcia 70-69_139

Camilo Villegas 66-73_139

Boo Weekley 67-72_139

Branden Grace 67-72_139

Soren Hansen 68-72_140

John Daly 68-72_140

Richard Sterne 67-73_140

Anthony Wall 68-72_140

Nick Dougherty 70-70_140

Justin Leonard 70-70_140

Chris Wood 70-70_140

Ernie Els 69-72_141

Justin Rose 69-72_141

Zach Johnson 70-71_141

Francesco Molinari 71-70_141

Fredrik Andersson Hed 71-70_141

Henrik Stenson 71-70_141

a-Matteo Manassero 71-70_141

Peter Hanson 70-71_141

Graeme McDowell 68-73_141

G.Fernandez-Castano 69-72_141

David Howell 68-73_141

Thongchai Jaidee 69-72_141

Andres Romero 68-74_142

Davis Love III 69-73_142

Paul McGinley 71-71_142

Tom Lehman 68-74_142

Fredrik Jacobson 70-72_142

Richard S. Johnson 70-72_142

Kevin Sutherland 69-73_142

David Drysdale 69-73_142

Paul Broadhurst 70-72_142

Oliver Wilson 72-70_142

Darren Clarke 71-71_142

Billy Mayfair 69-73_142

Daniel Gaunt 76-67_143

Rory McIlroy 69-74_143

Ryuji Imada 74-69_143

Padraig Harrington 69-74_143

Stuart Appleby 71-72_143

Thomas Aiken 71-72_143

Nick Watney 71-72_143

Kenny Perry 71-72_143

Steve Stricker 66-77_143

Sean O'Hair 68-75_143

Luke Donald 71-72_143

Bryce Molder 70-73_143

Soren Kjeldsen 68-76_144

Paul Casey 68-76_144

Paul Lawrie 71-73_144

Paul Goydos 72-72_144

Thomas Levet 71-73_144

Graeme Storm 72-72_144

Mark O'Meara 67-77_144

Robert Allenby 70-74_144

Johan Edfors 71-73_144 Missed Cut=

Mike Weir 67-78_145

Ben Curtis 65-80_145

Colin Montgomerie 71-74_145

Todd Hamilton 75-70_145

Charley Hoffman 71-74_145

Peter Hedblom 71-74_145

Josh Geary 70-75_145

Adam Scott 71-74_145

Anders Hansen 68-77_145

Tiger Woods 71-74_145

D.J. Trahan 68-77_145

Matt Kuchar 70-76_146

Tim Clark 71-75_146

K.J. Choi 74-72_146

Anthony Kim 73-73_146

Peter Baker 74-72_146

Elliot Saltman 70-76_146

John Senden 66-80_146

Louis Oosthuizen 70-76_146

Ryo Ishikawa 68-78_146

Martin Laird 74-72_146

Ben Crane 71-75_146

Rhys Davies 73-74_147

James Driscoll 76-71_147

David Toms 72-75_147

Rory Sabbatini 74-73_147

Charl Schwartzel 71-76_147

David Duval 71-76_147

Yuta Ikeda 76-71_147

Richard Green 71-76_147

Mark Brown 71-76_147

Briny Baird 72-75_147

Rod Pampling 74-73_147

David Higgins 73-75_148

Gaganjeet Bhullar 71-77_148

Sandy Lyle 75-73_148

Alvaro Quiros 71-77_148

Charles Howell III 73-75_148

Gary Orr 73-75_148

Bubba Watson 73-75_148

Raphael Jacquelin 75-73_148

Prayad Marksaeng 73-75_148

Markus Brier 71-77_148

Robert Rock 73-75_148

Brian Gay 73-76_149

Stephen Ames 72-77_149

Lucas Glover 72-77_149

a-Stephan Gross 74-75_149

David Smail 70-79_149

Rafa Echenique 72-77_149

Wen-Chong Liang 77-72_149

Azuma Yano 75-74_149

Richie Ramsay 77-72_149

Brandt Snedeker 72-77_149

Tomohiro Kondo 71-79_150

Timothy Wood 73-77_150

Terry Pilkadaris 68-82_150

Steve Surry 69-81_150

Chad Campbell 73-77_150

Ken Duke 71-79_150

Tim Stewart 74-77_151

Jeremy Kavanagh 74-77_151

Nick Faldo 78-73_151

Hunter Mahan 72-79_151

Carl Pettersson 74-77_151

Richard Finch 73-78_151

Marc Cayeux 75-76_151

Damien McGrane 78-74_152

Greg Norman 77-75_152

Lloyd Saltman 75-77_152

Thomas Haylock 74-78_152

Geoff Ogilvy 75-78_153

Bruce Vaughn 78-75_153

Ian Poulter 75-79_154

Koumei Oda 76-78_154

Dustin Johnson 78-76_154

Daniel Wardrop 75-80_155

Michael Wright 77-79_156

Oliver Fisher 79-78_157

Pablo Larrazabal 79-81_160

Peter Ellebye 77-84_161

Jaco Ahlers 83-79_162

Michael Campbell 78-WD - AP


More news, pictures and videos on British Open from the the AP Wire

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